Monday, November 22, 2010

Parallax Rears His Ugly Head?


(Source: dailyblam)

From the trailer, it appears as though Hector Hammond (aka Megamind) is Green Lantern's primary enemy. However, the real antagonist is a being called Parallax, who is an embodiment of fear. Parallax's hobbies include, traveling through the cosmos and helping societies destroy themselves through fear and paranoia, and possessing other beings (including Green Lanterns on occasion), all while looking like a creature from the abyss. That kind of profile certainly wouldn't win him any points on Chemistry.com, but it does make for an awesome, albeit mysterious, villain.

Here's a shortened description of Parallax from the official film synopsis:

A new enemy called Parallax threatens to destroy the balance of power in the Universe. Their [the Green Lantern Corps] fate and the fate of Earth lie in the hands of their newest recruit, the first human ever selected: Hal Jordan.

The picture above reportedly comes from an upcoming issue of Green Lantern, possibly issue #60 or #61. Not sure how it could have leaked, but if the issues have already been sent to press, it's possible the image comes from a screen shot of the digital files, or perhaps a copy of the comic proof.

However the image got out, it only raises questions. Will Parallax be the main villain and actually be seen throughout the film? Or will he act mainly through his human host in Hector Hammond? I think it would be cooler to see Green Lantern square off with an enemy that looks like a giant dragon, than with an ordinary guy. But perhaps he deals with both in the end.

For comparison purposes, here's a pic of Parallax from his Wikipedia page:



I'd say the filmmakers stayed pretty loyal to the comic on this one. Parallax should make for one terrifying baddie. Let's hope cocky frat boy Hal Jordan is up to the task.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

The 'Green Lantern' Trailer, Now With 100% More Action

Ever wish you could watch a trailer of an upcoming action flick without all the talking, emotion, comedy and plot points? Just action scenes and nothing else?

Well, you're in luck. An uber Green Lantern fan named arttron on YouTube has done just that. Here is the 'Green Lantern' trailer recut with mostly action scenes, and a slightly different musical score:




I'm all for the fast-paced action clips in this "new" trailer. The music, however, makes me feel like I should be watching this in a gilded Victorian theater. Perhaps Green Lantern goes back in time at some point in the film to visit our severely morally upright ancestors, and this clip is merely hinting at such an adventure. Or maybe it's just the Harry Potter vibe infecting the country. All in all, not a bad recut, but I still like the 'Requiem for a Dream' style music from this fan made trailer.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Green Lantern is the Sexiest Man Alive

NY Daily News reports what most fan girls already knew: Ryan Reynolds, star of the 'Green Lantern,' is the Sexiest Man Alive.



Despite beating out 'Iron Man' Robert Downey, Jr. for the People Magazine prize, Reynolds was modest, joking that his family would make fun of him "for the rest of my life."

This latest award for Reynold's comes just after his wife Scarlett Johansson earned GQ's "Babe of the Year." I'm tempted to add "Luckiest Couple Alive" in there as well. When not collecting awards and starring in million dollar movies, the two also somehow find the time to get busy during filming. And by "get busy," I don't mean playing chess.

I'm almost positive Rod Stewart wrote this song with Ryan Reynold's in mind, even if the future 'Van Wilder' was still in grammar school at the time.

'Green Lantern' and Reynold's chiseled abs hit theaters next June.

The 'Green Lantern' Trailer Debuts

If the teaser trailer whetted your appetite for the emerald warrior, this new trailer for next summer's Green Lantern' should more than satisfy your need for all things green,.

The first theatrical 'Green Lantern' trailer:

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Five Cool Things About the 'Green Lantern' Teaser Trailer

ET just released a teaser trailer of the upcoming 'Green Lantern' trailer that's set to debut with 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I' Nov. 19. ET plans to release the full trailer this Tuesday. Here it is in full CGI glory:



Here's five cool things I liked about it:

1.) Looks like director Martin Campbell decided to go with a slightly more humorous take than Nolan did with Batman or Singer did with Superman. We've had our share of brooding superheroes lately with 'TDK' and 'Watchmen,' so this will be a welcome break.

2.) First glimpse of Kilowog! Looks like Hal Jordan's trainer takes up more than his share of screen space.

3.) Ryan Reynolds is shirtless. OK, that's great if you're a girl. But if you're a guy, that means it'll just be easier to get your date to the theater.

4.) GL flies through interstellar space. Looks like the 'Green Lantern' plot rumor I posted earlier may have some truth. If that's the case, then directly after the bar fight--which seems to occur in the teaser with the giant green fist--Jordan gets taken to Oa to learn the proper use of his new found powers.

5.) Oa looks magnificent. It's really brief, but it looks like Oa is the Emerald City from 'Wizard of Oz' on steroids. Guess there's something to mystical places starting with 'O' with only two letters.

Stay tuned for the full trailer coming this Tuesday on ET, or in theaters before 'Harry Potter' next Friday.

Saturday, November 6, 2010

20 Alternate Uses of a Green Lantern Power Ring


So, according to the Wiki page on Green Lantern, Hal Jordan has a plethora of powers to choose from with his mystical power ring. With abilities limited only by his imagination, he can teleport, levitate, blast energy fields, fly, and even time travel.

However, Hal is also an ordinary man when he's not dressed in a green leotard and creating emerald force fields around himself and loved ones. What kinds of things would Hal the Ordinary Man vs. the super hero, use a power ring for in everyday situation? Here's what I would use it for mostly:

1.) Opening the door when my arms are full of groceries. Really, this could be a super power in and of itself. No more scrambling for keys and playing the juggling act when I come home to my apartment holding ten packages of discount Top Ramen from Aldi's.

2.) Shape-shifting. For use to escape villainous gods or a crazed nemesis? No. more like changing into someone else when I see my ex-girlfriend crossing the street. Even better, changing into someone like this guy when meeting women for the first time.

3.) Placing users into suspended animation. Would work great not just on intergalactic psychopaths, but also on my boss when he catches me late by the time clock or asks me to stay late. This would also come in handy for playing pranks on your co-workers. Right when your rival is about to begin his Power point presentation you freeze everyone in place, remove his pants, and then release everyone. The only trick will be to keep your laughter to yourself so you aren't found out.

4.) Airport security. The Green Lantern power ring also allows the wearer to phase through solid objects. This would be great for when I fly. So instead of getting hassled by security and having to consent to a strip search in a seedy bathroom, I can just phase my studded belt right through the magnetic waves of the metal detector. Rio, here I come!

5.) Instant healing after performing wicked stunts on my bike. Don't you hate it when you go off a ramp to impress a girl, only to land on your head and bust your femur? With a power ring, I could crash and burn like usual, but instead of a three month stay in the hospital and a $560,000 bill, I'd just heal myself instantly. Then, rinse and repeat. Chicks dig injuries, you know.

6.) Create instant plasma energy dishes. Dirty plates and glasses in the sink? No problem. I'd just think myself a new set of plates, silverware, and glass, and I'd have something to pour my Top Ramen into after a night of heavy drinking.

7.) Instant back scratcher. This one speaks for itself. Plus, it'd be a real savings, too. Some back scratchers sure are expensive.

8.) Earplugs. Don't you hate it when you're getting chewed out by your girlfriend/boss/mom/best friend/cop/lawyer/guy at the bar/kid/grandparent? Worry no more, as a power ring would give you the instant ability to plug your fragile auditory nerves with tender green solid light. Would be awesome at a rock concert for when your favorite band starts playing their crappier songs.

9.) An iPod. Not gonna lie, I would use this one the most. This way people would stop me on the street and ask where I got such a cool iPod, instead of asking me why the hell I am rocking out to 'Barbie Girl'.

10.) A condom. On second thought, I would use this one the most. That is if a power ring could conjure up an actual, live girlfriend, which it can't.

11.) Instant green screen. Bored of hearing your grandma talk about that time in 1938 when she saw an albatross by the sea shore? Green screen a roller coaster track behind her and just watch the minutes fly by like...well, an albatross.

12.) Instant fact finder. Got nothing to say at a party? Or maybe you're one of those shy guys that doesn't like to talk. With a power ring you can add zest to any conversation with fun facts and tid bits through the ring's diagnostic capabilities. You'll be a walking Wikipedia, a veritable oracle of random trivia.

13.) Instant hang-over cure. Sinestro was apparently able to use his ring to reconnect synapses in the brain of a dead criminal in order to extract knowledge. Would the same thing work, only to cure hangovers brought on by cheap whiskey and Colt 45? I can only hope, otherwise it's cranberry juice, Advil, and a quick head dunk in a bucket of ice for me pretty much every morning.

14.) Holographic display. Finally, a way to reenact that scene from Star Wars when Princess Leia begs Obi-Wan for help without having to cart around my big screen TV and DVD player.

15.) Tie Tier. Seriously, does anyone know how to tie a tie? I have an important interview with a potential client in two hours and so far my tie looks like a dead snake draped around my neck. Oh well, Mr. Yaga Moto of the billion dollar Moto Unlimited Japan Corporation probably wasn't worth talking to anyway.

16.) A Kindle. Have you seen how expensive those doo-dads are? I'll be damned I'm going to spend my hard-earned money on what amounts to the iPad's ugly cousin.

17.) Automatic recording device. This way, I can record what I want to eat before the waiter comes to my table and asks me right when I stuff my face with a slice of bread.

18.) Instant Mormon Bubbler. You know, for in case I decide to convert one day.

19.) Laser pointer. This should really go without saying. There are so many times I point to things and my friends have no idea what it is I'm pointing to. Is it the bear charging down the path, the dead hooker we still haven't disposed of yet, the stack of empty beer cans left over from last month's party? A power ring with a built-in laser pointer would be an absolute Godsend.

20.) Money. It's already green, just like the light of the Green Lantern. Of course, it still won't stop me from overspending on my 3 pack-a-day habit, but anything helps at this point.

Friday, November 5, 2010

'Green Lantern' Trailer Review

What would happen if a ten-year old or a frat boy got powers? That's the summation posed by one lucky reviewer who got to get a sneak peek at the upcoming 'Green Lantern' trailer. Courtesy of BigShinyRobot, here's a tad more of the review:

There have been rumors of this movie being like training day with Sinestro (Mark Strong) showing Hal the ropes. Strictly from this preview, I can not say if they are going to do this as I didn’t see one scene with Sinestro in it. I know he is cast and is in the posters, but strictly from the preview, they do not seem to be focusing on him to greatly. I can say the villain in this first one seems to Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard). Not a favorite villain of mine personally, he always creeped me out as the obsessed stalker, but he may work with the direction it looks like they are taking for a genesis story.

This is the one part which has me worried; they look like they are going to portray “The Man Without Fear” as a man who has to overcome fear. Now, I know they of late

have been pointing to the fact Hal does have fear he just has the ability to overcome it in the comics, but the one thing about Hal is he never really showed it. There is a conversation he has where he mentions what the ring said about being without fear, and the guy he’s talking to gives him a look and Hal says unsurely, “I know right?” All in all though, I can see how they can use Hector Hammond to have him overcome fear, I mean the guy gets into your head. I just really hope they do not focus too much on him overcoming fear, they need to stay true to Hal’s strong, confident persona.

Word is the 'Green Lantern' trailer will debut with the new 'Harry Potter' movie coming out Nov. 19th.